Elemental Power Part 1
by RaceProUK
Summary: (Part 1 of 5) Veteran Red Scarves Hanna Skarlett and Rob Stiil plan a daring raid into the crashed Dreadnought. What will they find concealed within?
1. Chapter 1

Downtown Shang Mu, a small coffee shop just off one of the main thoroughfares on the edge of the city centre. The night is young, warm and clear, with a light cooling breeze gently ruffling the canopy. Only one of the six tables outside is occupied; a lone red-haired orange fox, sipping from her mug, staring into the mid-distance, watching the handful of civilians going about their own private business. The fox's ears prick up at the sound of a siren in the distance. For a moment, she stops drinking, focussed on the siren, until it fades under the background noise of the city. A moment later, she slumps a little in her chair with a gentle sigh, idly fiddling with the red scarf around her neck. Another sip from the mug; puzzled, she holds it up and peers inside. Seeing the mug is empty, she sighs once more in frustration, setting the mug on the table with a clumsy clatter.

"Something on your mind, Hanna?" The silver-furred hare sits opposite the fox at the table, sliding a fresh drink across to her. Hanna looks at the hare sidelong, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"You're late," she growls.

"Only just," the hare counters. "Anyway, I bought you your favourite drink; how about a thankyou?"

"Hm," Hanna grunts in response, a hint of a smile creeping through.

"It has marshmallows," the hare adds.

"Darn it Rob," Hanna chuckles, smiling warmly, "you know me too well."

"Wouldn't be much of a boyfriend if I didn't, would I?"

Hanna sits upright, turning to face Rob. "And I love you for it," she chirps. A mellow silence descends, Hanna taking in the scent of her fresh hot chocolate, Rob sipping his green tea.

"Another 'benefit' of knowing you too well is knowing when you're in a funky mood," Rob observes. He pauses briefly. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I dunno, I guess I'm just a little melancholic right now." Hanna sighs deeply, her expression darkening. "Been feeling weird for the whole day in fact. Not really sure why."

"Well, the world has changed somewhat since that whole Brevon thing a week ago," Rob offers. "Thanks to all those robots on the loose, people are rather wary of anything out of the ordinary, and it's cutting into our business."

"No denying that. We've not had a serious mission for a while now, and petty theft just isn't exciting."

"I dunno; you can hit a dozen places before lunch, then enjoy the spoils all afternoon."

"Yeah, I guess," Hanna reluctantly agrees, "but you know I always prefer the big score."

"Admit it; you're just an adrenaline junkie!" teases Rob.

"Would you love me if I wasn't?" smirks Hanna.

They both chuckle warmly. Rob notices Hanna fiddling with her scarf.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Rob inquires.

"How can you tell?" Hanna asks, a little perplexed.

"You always fiddle with your scarf when something's bothering you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Huh." Hanna pauses, lost in thought, swirling her drink, staring into the vortex created.

"Maybe something to do with a dragon and a cat?" Rob ventures.

Hanna locks eyes with Rob. "What have Lilac and Carol got to do with anything?"

"Like you said, I know you too well." Rob winks, pausing a moment to finish his tea. "You and Lilac have never seen eye-to-eye. And now she and her feisty feline friend are known across the three kingdoms as the saviours of Avalice."

Hanna's expression darkens in anger. "You think I'm jealous of them?" she dismissed with a snort.

Rob says nothing; he just looks Hanna in the eye expectantly.

"No, you're right of course," Hanna eventually sighs, hanging her head, her expression bled of anger. "That upstart has shown me up on so many occasions in the past, and now she's only gone and saved the whole darn planet! How am I meant to compete with that?"

"Simple: don't!"

"Easier said than done..."

"Y'know, that's the one thing I'll never figure out about you..."

Hanna chuckles gently in amusement, sipping from her now empty mug. She looks into it in confusion. "I drink this stuff way too quickly."

"We have time for another before the movie?"

Hanna thinks for a moment. "Nah, s'alright," she decides. "Besides, don't want to spoil my figure too much!"


	2. Chapter 2

Rage Ravine, a modest part-wood part-stone two-storey house built partly into the cliff-face, hidden behind a bank of pink-leaved trees. Hanna is stood on the balcony, dressed only in a dark blue bathrobe to guard against the wind, watching the sun rise over the treetops. Rob's light snoring can be heard from inside the bedroom. Hanna turns away from the view, and unfolds the newspaper she's holding. It is dated one day after the destruction of Brevon's Dreadnought, and the headline reads 'Heroic Trio Saves Avalice from Alien Monster'; the picture accompanying the article is of the wreckage of the Dreadnought.

Hanna speed-reads the article, before discarding the paper and picking up another from the table next to her. It's from the day after, and the headline reads 'Heroes Honoured in Shang Mu Parade'. Hanna discards the paper almost immediately in disgust, and picks up the next one, with the headline 'Shuigang Begins Dreadnought Salvage'. Hanna speed-reads, then goes pack to read a couple of paragraphs in more detail. Slowly, her expression morphs from annoyance, through curiosity, to excitement and cunning.

* * *

><p>Mid-morning. Rob strolls into the kitchen, stifling a yawn, before taking a bottle from the fridge, opening it, and taking a long draft. He turns to see Hanna sat at the table, polishing one of his sai, her nunchaku sat neatly arranged on top of two folded red scarves. Rob stands patiently, waiting for Hanna to notice him; the newspaper laying on the table has the headline 'Shuigang Begins Dreadnought Salvage'.<p>

"I know what you're gonna say," Hanna eventually mutters without looking up, "and you know it won't change my mind."

"I'll save my breath for the inevitable 'I told you so' then."

Hanna chuckles softly, placing the newly-polished sai alongside the other, fixing Rob with a cheeky grin. "You wouldn't dare."

Rob's expression darkens with concern. "This won't be easy y'know; that wreckage is guarded by some of the most capable soldiers in the three kingdoms."

"We'll just have to be super-sneaky then," Hanna assures. "Better get the balaclavas." A moment's pause. "Need to take the shine off your sai too. Kinda wish I hadn't spent all that time polishing them now..."

* * *

><p>A short time later, two ATVs speed away from the house, heading for the Shuigang Snowfields.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Mid-afternoon, Shuigang Snowfields, a medium-height cliff a mile away from the wrecked Dreadnought. The site is ringed by a battalion of Shuigang troopers, backed up by a scattering of armoured vehicles. Only one gap exists in the military cordon; a stream of large trucks rumbles through the checkpoint, to be filled with wreckage to take away and dispose of. A similar line of full trucks flows the other way. A small group of smaller trucks are sat a short distance away from where the larger vehicles are being filled. Rob and Hanna are laying at the cliff edge, scanning the site through binoculars.

"You weren't wrong about the military might posted here," Hanna sighs. "Don't say it," she adds after a brief pause.

"Say what?" Rob teases in response.

"You know what," Hanna growls.

"OK, I won't say 'I told you so'."

Hanna lowers her binoculars, glances sidelong at Rob, and punches him playfully in the shoulder. "Couldn't resist, could you?"

A small grin creeps across Rob's face.

"Anyway, we need to work out how to sneak through that checkpoint," Hanna continues, rolling onto her side to face Rob directly. "Any ideas?"

Rob lowers his binoculars, and half-turns to face Hanna. "We could just walk up to them and ask to be let in."

"Oh ha ha, very funny." Hanna mocks.

"Why thankyou," Rob smirks, rolling onto his side to face Hanna directly. Hanna shakes her head, partly annoyed, party amused.

"The way I see it," he continues, "we have two options. One: hang under one of the trucks and ride it past the checkpoint. Two: take over one of the trucks and drive it in disguise."

"Tough choice. Option one: they look under the truck, we get arrested and gaoled. Option two: we fail to show the correct ID, we get arrested and gaoled."

"Can always rely on you to find the positive!" Rob teases.

"Shut up," Hanna retorts playfully. "There is a third option: we hold one of the drivers and force them to carry us in. They don't look like they're trained soldiers; they'll want to acquiesce rather than get hurt."

"And then when we're past the checkpoint, we force them to pull up away from prying eyes, and scarper into the wreckage before anyone notices something's wrong." Rob considers for a moment. "I like it."


	4. Chapter 4

A mile away from the checkpoint, one of the numerous trucks pulls to one side, slowing to a halt, one of the tyres having picked up a puncture. The driver dismounts, and sets to work repairing and re-inflating; he fails to notice two fleet-footed strangers swiftly sequester themselves in the cab. The repair and re-inflation complete, the driver returns to his seat in the cab. As he reaches for the ignition, a nunchaku is wrapped around his neck; the wielder pulls him hard against the back of the seat.

"You will drive us past the checkpoint, then pull up out of view," growls a female voice.

"I'd do as she says if I were you," a gruff male voice adds; the owner waves a dulled sai in the driver's peripheral vision.

The driver croaks an agreement.

"Good," the female voice continues, loosening her grip, allowing the nunchaku to slip round behind the seat. "Now drive."

The driver reaches for the ignition, hand shaking. The truck shudders into life, and the driver slowly pulls away and re-joins the convoy. In moments, the truck reaches the checkpoint; the driver pulls up and rolls down the window. A soldier approaches, beckoning for ID; the driver complies. The soldier analyses the ID for a moment; satisfied everything is above board, he steps back and waves the driver to continue. A few hundred yards past the checkpoint, the truck pulls to one side, parking behind a large lump of twisted metal at the edge of the wreckage. Two figures emerge from the cab, and disappear inside the wreckage.

* * *

><p>Hanna yanks off her balaclava, and looks back out from the wreckage, at the truck that carried them in. The driver, still shaking from his ordeal, wastes no time reversing and scurrying back to safety.<p>

"Well, we're in," Rob says, removing his balaclava. "We'd better get moving if we don't want to be spotted; the driver will almost certainly alert the troops about what just happened."

Hanna grunts an agreement, and starts to delve deeper into the wreckage; Rob follows.


	5. Chapter 5

"This thing's a lot bigger than I thought," Hanna observes, walking down a deformed corridor deep within the Dreadnought, Rob alongside.

"It feels like we've been in here for hours," Rob adds. "And we haven't found anything we can pawn off. Nothing we can realistically sneak out anyway."

"We'll find something."

They continue to walk a while in silence. As they near the end of the corridor, it opens into a larger chamber; Hanna and Rob stop just before the doorway.

"Let's make this the last room," Rob suggests. "I'm starting to get hungry."

"OK," Hanna sighs in response, entering the room. "I'm getting bored of this anywaaaaah!"

"Hanna?"

"Alright, who turned off the gravity?" Hanna growls, floating a few inches above the floor, slowly rising higher, gently tumbling upside-down.

"It wasn't me," Rob chuckles. He pauses a moment. "I guess the ship's artificial gravity systems are still powered somehow, but with the amount of damage, it only affects a few isolated parts."

"And that helps me get down how?" Hanna asks impatiently, arms folded.

"What's the rush? You look pretty cute floating the wrong way up!"

"Just go find a rope or something!"

"Hey, take it easy, I'll get you down," Rob assures, turning to scan the corridor for something useful. "Don't go anywhere."

"Like I have a choice..." Hanna sighs.

Rob heads back down the corridor, looking for something to help. Hanna continues to float upwards, slowly spinning back upright before bumping head first into the ceiling.

"Ow," she mutters, gently rolling onto her back. "Well, at least I'm not floating anymore. May as well see what I can find up here." She carefully contorts into a low-slung crawling position, trying extremely hard not to push herself away from the ceiling. Looking around, she spots something a short distance away. A glowing red crystal, about the size of a deck of cards.

"Finally, something worth taking!" Hanna starts to crawl slowly towards the crystal. As she gets closer, she feels a strange attraction to the crystal; it's as if the crystal is calling to her. She reaches out, hand closing around the crystal; a gentle tug breaks it free; she pockets her prize. Without warning, the ship's artificial gravity system fails; Hanna starts falling, the floor rushing up to meet her.

"This is gonna hurt..." she mutters, closing her eyes, bracing for impact.

The impact never comes. Slowly, Hanna opens her eyes; she's floating a few feet from the floor again, drifting slowly down this time. "Phew; the artificial gravity reacti-"

The artificial gravity system fails, this time for good. Hanna hits the floor hard, knocking the wind out of her with a pained yelp. Coughing and spluttering, she rolls gingerly onto her hands and knees, vision swimming, wincing.

Rob returns carrying a rope made from several lengths of cabling. "Hanna? You OK?"

"More or less," Hanna winces through gritted teeth, struggling to stand, her vision clearing. "Stupid artificial gravity failed."

"I'll help you up." Rob drops the cable rope, and rushes to help. "Any injuries?"

"Nothing feels broken," she assures. "Probably gonna walk a bit crooked for a while though."


	6. Chapter 6

Retracing their steps, Rob and Hanna eventually return to the edge of the wreckage, Hanna nursing a slight limp. They scurry over the surface of the wreckage, find a conveniently large piece to hide in, and wait to be picked up and placed in one of the large trucks. They don't have to wait long; their piece is craned into a truck, and after a few more pieces are loaded, the truck sets off, passing through the military checkpoint without issue.

A mile away from the checkpoint, Rob and Hanna bail from the truck. Rob lands smoothly, rolling gracefully, recovering into a sprint. Hanna lands awkwardly, tumbling hard. She tries to recover into a sprint, but trips and lands flat on her face. Wincing, she stands, and limps badly after Rob.

* * *

><p>"I think I've had my share of adventure for a while," Hanna sighs, laid on their couch, a large icepack clamped against her severely bruised hip. "It feels like my leg's been twisted full-circle."<p>

"That big rock in your pocket probably didn't help any," Rob remarks, returning from the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate, topped with marshmallows.

"Darn thing nearly broke my hip. Twice." Hanna raises the crystal and stares into its depths.

"How much do you think we can get for that?" Rob asks, placing the mug on the table next to Hanna.

"I'm not selling it."

"What‽"

"I'm not selling it."

"Why‽"

"I can't."

"Did that landing screw your head as well as your hip?"

Hanna fixes Rob with a cold stare. "I am not selling this crystal. End of."

Rob opens his mouth to respond, thinks better of it, and elects to simply leave the room. Hanna hears the bedroom door slam shut.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning. Hanna is snoozing lightly on the sofa; Rob is sitting in the chair, examining the crystal.

"I don't see what makes this thing so special," Rob ponders.

Hanna stirs. "My hip feels a lot better, thankyou," she mutters, mildly annoyed.

"It just looks like a ruby to me," Rob continues. "It's not even that well cut; there are flaws throughout the entire stone."

"Hmm, the joint has stiffened up overnight," Hanna growls, the discomfort of pulling herself up to lean on the arm clear in her expression.

"I doubt it'd even fetch enough money for three months, let alone a full year, though it'd still be worth it." Rob feels Hanna's violent stare without having to look. "Don't worry, I'm not going to try to persuade you to sell it. It was very clear last night you want to keep this, though I cannot fathom why."

Hanna's expression softens. "To be honest, I'm not sure I understand why myself." A thoughtful pause. "This may sound strange, but I felt that crystal... calling to me." Another pause; Rob looks sidelong at Hanna, quizzical. "Am I going crazy?"

"Going?"

"Ha ha."

Rob looks back at the crystal. "I've known you for a long time, yet you're still able to surprise me." He tosses the crystal towards Hanna, but the throw falls short. Hanna lunges and catches it, but in doing so she rolls off the sofa, landing on the floor with a loud yelp, jarring her injured hip.

"You did that on purpose," she growls, seething in anger and pain.

"Of course not," Rob responds. After a pause, he admits "Actually, yes I did."

What Hanna says next is unrepeatable.


	8. Chapter 8

Two days later, Rob and Hanna are strolling hand-in-hand through Rage Ravine. Hanna's hip has recovered well, but she still limps slightly. Her crystal has been worked into her new double-baldric, sitting central to her torso, with the nunchaku clipped on where the diagonals of the baldric are fastened to the belt.

"It's so easy to forget just how beautiful this place really is," Hanna sighs. "It's nice to be able to relax and just... I dunno... simply be."

"So, just how many painkillers did you take this morning?" Rob teases.

"You know I don't bother with that garbage," Hanna responds, a little curt.

"I know," Rob reassures. "It's just you seem somewhat... floaty today."

"Can't I take a moment to enjoy simply being alive?" Hanna asks mockingly.

"Of course you can," Rob chuckles. They continue in silence for a few moments.

"We really should have brought a pic-," Hanna begins, halting suddenly. Her ears prick attentively; she hears an unusual noise all around, a short distance away.

"Something the matter?" Rob asks, halting alongside.

"Hush!"

They listen; Rob now picks up on what Hanna heard. "Something's coming this way," he concludes.

"A lot of somethings," Hanna corrects.

The sound gets louder; Hanna and Rob find themselves very quickly surrounded by twenty of Brevon's robots. Instinctively, they draw their weapons and stand back to back, poised to fight.

"You sure you're fit enough for this?" Rob asks.

"Like a knackered hip's gonna slow me down," Hanna retorts.

The robots attack. Rob and Hanna leap into action; Rob dispatches two with precise thrusts of his sai, Hanna rending a third inoperable with a sweep of her nunchaku. She tries to smoothly switch to a new target, but her hip doesn't respond, and she loses her balance. A desperate swing as she stumbles takes out another robot, but now she's vulnerable to three that outflank her, and move in for the kill. Rob is too busy to help her.

The crystal starts glowing.

The three robots suddenly burst into flames, and are reduced to molten slag in seconds.

Hanna isn't surprised; she doesn't even react. She rises as if lifted by an invisible helper; the whites of her eyes are now a smouldering black. She liquefies six more robots in as many seconds with her fire-wreathed weaponry. The next four don't even get close; fireballs consume them. Rob, having destroyed the last three, turns to see if Hanna requires help.

He cannot believe what he is seeing.

Hanna, enveloped in an aura of pure flame, is standing among the molten and deformed wreckage of the robots she has devastated. She turns to Rob.

"Told you a knackered hip wouldn't slow me down," she boasts; her voice has gained a strangely deep undertone.

"Hanna... what is... why are... how did..."

She blinks; her eyes return to normal, and the flame aura dissipates. "You OK?" Her voice is normal again.

"Yeah... I just... I wasn't..."

"You're babbling."

Rob closes his eyes, shakes his head to settle his thoughts, and looks at Hanna once more. "Sorry, it was just... your eyes were black; it scared me."

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" she smiles.

"Wonderful‽" Rob blurts. "You looked possessed! What's wonderful about that‽"

Hanna's smile morphs into an aggressive, almost evil grin.

"Everything."


End file.
